CJOB News Team reporting
8/16/2012
Flood-prone Manitoba is now home to an innovative wave testing facility that mimics flood conditions. It will allow researchers to test flood-fighting technologies in real-world scenarios.
A team of civil engineering researchers at the University of Manitoba has created a 1,000 square-foot testing pool to bring to life the drama of floodwaters.
Civil engineering researcher and principal investigator Shawn Clark says the facility allows them to take a made-in-Manitoba flood-fighting product and test it to ensure its safety, effectiveness and reliability, and to make any necessary improvements.
Partnering with the Winnipeg company ITW Syn-Tex Bag, the researchers are testing super-sized, four-foot-tall sandbags called Wave Breakers. They provide a less laborious alternative to traditional sandbags.
Conventional sandbag dikes rely on the hard work of many volunteers and have questionable safety and reliability if their construction isn’t strictly monitored. Wave Breakers can go up faster, are installed by qualified personnel and are more resilient to wave action and fast-moving debris.
The facility puts the University in a leading role in the testing of flood protection technology.
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